Nationalizing their oil and gas industries made sense. In the post USSR era, Russia was being utterly plundered. Factories, real estate, industries like oil and gas were all being privatized by whoever was strong enough to physicall gain possession of them.
In the oil and gas sector, the EU was moving to gain control of the supplies. Most strife surrounding them in the last decade, has revolved around EU efforts to control Russian gas and dictate supply and prices. The EU does not want Russia to be their Saudi Arabia in control of Europes gas. Furthermore, the EU wants to pay in Euros that are printed as needed.
In such a situation, the Russian government confiscated Yukos after a court judgement of massive tax evasion. It was what was best for the country financially, if compared to letting the EU own and run it all for their benefit.
All of this must seem strange to us, who accept as normal that American TARP funds should be propping up british and European banks, and funding Brazilian drilling.
While state ownership of oil and gas is not classically capitalist, it is the norm everywhere else. For example, in the UK, the State owns ALL rights to oil, gas, coal, gold and silver. And you are not drilling for oil anywhere in England unless you buy the rights from the government.
You forgot to add that Yukos CEO and a left’s new “dissident” martyr Khodorkovski was a Soros’s operator and openly admitted it.